Effects of Smoking on a Fetus

A pregnant woman who smokes should quit smoking as soon as she knows she is going to have a baby. Cigarette smoke can cause complications to the mother during pregnancy, and affect the health and development of the fetus.

Smoking and Ectopic Pregnancy

Women who smoke are more likely to experience an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself to the wall of a fallopian tube rather than traveling down to the uterus.

Miscarriage Risk

A woman who smokes during pregnancy is at a much higher risk of having a miscarriage than a non-smoker. The risk of a baby being born dead is also higher among women who smoke during pregnancy.

Fetal Growth

Smoking by pregnant women causes a restriction of oxygen and nutrients to a fetus. This restriction leads to babies being born underweight, with all the associated risks of low birth-weight babies.

Carbon Monoxide

When a pregnant woman smokes, she exposes her baby to harmful levels of carbon monoxide. This exposure leads to a lack of oxygen in the blood and an overabundance of red blood cells. Excess red blood cells can cause the blood of a baby to become too thick, and the baby could die.

Damage to Brain and Nerves

Prenatal cigarette smoking can cause nerve and brain damage to a fetus. Babies born to mothers who smoke may have behavioral and learning problems.

Resources

• Discovery Health: Pregnancy and Smoking
• Dr. Spock: Pregnancy Health